Dunswell Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 June 2022

Dunswell Primary is a charming school. It is clear, from their work in class and their joyful play, that pupils are happy here and want to do their best. If pupils have worries or concerns, they trust that staff will help and support them. Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in English and mathematics. However, curriculum thinking does not support pupils to achieve ambitious end points in some other subjects. Pupils feel safe. They comment that bullying is extremely rare, and leaders' detailed records support this. Pupils are confident that if any bullying were to occur, staff would deal with it quickly and effectively. The majority of pupils understand and willingly follow the school rules and routines. They value the ways that their teachers reward them for positive attitudes and behaviour. They readily identify that a smile and praise is a most valuable reward. Pupils play well together at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They include others in their games; there is a real sense of community at Dunswell. Pupils listen carefully to one another's views. They are accepting of each other and appreciate how each person is unique. There are many opportunities for pupils to play active and valuable roles, such as being a librarian. Through these opportunities, pupils grow in confidence and become resilient. They are proud to be useful members of this school community.

What the school should improve

• Most subjects are well sequenced. Their curriculum structure and the thinking underpinning this is purposeful. However, a small number of subjects are still being developed. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. As yet, the planning in all subjects does not set out the specific knowledge pupils need. Leaders should ensure that curriculum planning is strong and that the curriculum is delivered effectively so that pupils know more and remember more in different subjects.
• The impact of leaders' developments on the wider curriculum have not been checked with enough rigour. Leaders do not know how effectively the changes made are meeting the needs of their pupils. Leaders should ensure that the new curriculum structure is carefully monitored so that the impact on pupil progress is clearly understood.

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